1979, cspan was created as a Public Service by americas Cable Television companies and is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. Announcer American History tv is on cspan3 every weekend featuring museum tours, archival films, and programs on the presidency, the civil war, and much more. Here is a clip from a recent program. Here she is at 87. In an 1860 brigade eight march to the Capitol Building in d. C. , or they delivered a petition against the ruthless slaughter in vietnam. The speaker of the house, john mccormick, a veteran of world war i. 50 years seemed very short at that moment i think. ,n another echo of the war during the great war there is a 1970s soul record that shot to number one on the billboard chart by edward star. Imposed the rhetorical question, war, what is it good for . Absolutely nothing1 absolutely nothing announcer you can watch this and other American History programs on our website, where all video is archived. Thats cspan. Org history. Next on American History tv, historians j sexton and Jennifer Keene discuss the events leading up to world war i. They comment on audio clips from a fivepart dramatize world war i podcast series by british playwright martin wade. The podcast and discussion highlight president Woodrow Wilsons attempts to negotiate a Peace Agreement among the before america entered world war i in april 1917. Museumional world war i in kansas city, missouri hosted this event. Lora in 1926, this place opened. It was dedicated to those who had the courage, honor, patriotism, and sacrifice to defend their nation, and also in the hope of a just and lasting peace, which is in part, and in whole, our conversation this evening. This evening we are going to be discussing that u. S. Entry into world war i in april of 1917. It is part of a much larger ies that is a docudrama partn me and the first of our conversation we will be looking at the u. S. In 1914 when the war broke out in europe. Then we will look at wilsons reelection in 1916, the decision to go to war, and finally the u. S. At war. Evening is made up of two. Originally it was going to be three speakers. I do not have the lovely gentleman whoted should be here in my place, professor hugh strong, who is the key narrator throughout much of this docudrama. He is sending his regrets this evening. U. K. , to go back to the but is doing well, and we look forward to welcoming him back to the National World war i museum and memorial sometime very soon. Sexton is the inaugural candor endowed chair in constitutional democracy at the university of missouri. For the past 20 years been at oxford university, but you all in this hometown crowd might also like to know that now at the university of missouri, he originated at the university of kansas, so regardless of what side you are on, please greet again, as cand some great questions. [applause] and you might have seen dr. Jennifer keene on the american experience. She has been a key figure in much of the u. S. And the global admiration of the First World War. Thehas been working with 19141918 encyclopedia project. She is the current president for the society of military history, and she is the professor and chair of the department of history at chapman university. Tonight, to introduce ease of the discussion topics we have mentioned, we will plan experts from a new docudrama podcast from chrome radio about the u. S. Entry into world war i called enter the peace broker. The drama was generally was using contemporary diaries, letters, and newspaper reports, enter the peace broker brings americas journey into world war i vividly alive. Ascover a compiling compelling story of duplicity, intrigue, and power politics. For those of you interested in listening more to this because we knows that sounds really good, it is free via itunes and includes introductions from consultants to the production. Chrome radio is recording this evenings discussion, the podcast will be in due course. So lets get started. I would like to introduce our first clip and excerpt from the docudrama. This comes from the opening. It is february 1915. Since the been at war previous august, and colonel house, president wilsons righthand man, is on his way to london on an unofficial peace mission. Gentlemen, if you please. The daily mail february 2, 1915. The crew of the steamship sunk by german summary u21 saturday has returned home. Hissubmarine commanded , and all of sea them have been spotted in st. Georges channel. , commenting on the attack, said the german people will hear the news with great pleasure. As anglin seems to place her main hope on the starving out of germany. As a deal with us, so we must deal with them. February 6, 1915. On board the lusitania, it looked as if we might perish, so fierce was the storm. Despite our great size, the ship tossed about like a cork in the rapids. As we approached the irish coast, our captain decided to voice to the american flag. This created much excitement. A finethe lusitania is ship, we dont claim it as one of our own. The captain had become greatly alarmed at the possible threat of a german submarine and raised the flag in order to reduce the chance we would be torpedoed. Because of his concern, he mapped out a complete program for the rescue of passengers and launching of lifeboats, etc. But under the stars and stripes, we are arriving safely. Thanks be to god. General edward house has reached britains shores. President s righthand man, his advisor, though he has no ministerial position. Whether he is really a criminal or not a kernel or not a colonel or not is not certain. , thell talk to politicians great and the good. He can talk to me if he cares to. When mr. Edward house is staying with you, house, president wilsons man, just arrived. A meeting with lord northcliffe might be high up on his agenda. Wantl tell him that we all peace, but not at any price. A negotiated peace sounds like defeated talk to me. We will win in the end, i am certain we will, and my newspapers are playing a crucial role in securing victory. Lora the United States was divided in 1914 as to who they were supporting. They were supporting both sides and yet neutral at the same time. Jay, could you set the scene for us for 1914 in the u. S. . Prof. Sexton theres divisions in 1914. Im glad to hear in kansas city theres no longer divisions between ku and missou. [laughter] stage in 1914 . Obviously the outbreak of an epochal, transformative conflict in europe is going to change the world. America is going to try to not get involved and is not going to be able to insulate itself from the contagion. The context is not just international. It is also domestic context in the United States. 1914, the tail end of a decades long process of ,ndustrialization, urbanization transformation of the nations demography from immigration. Ofs is the great peak period immigration in American History, the three or four decades before 1914. Inis not a single entity 1914, and that is essential to understanding what happens thereafter. To make two more points about what is important in 1914, what do we need to know before we start thinking about the United States and its entanglement in this great conflict . The first thing we need to know is about americas Foreign Policy. I woulds Foreign Policy characterize in this period as one of indecision, one of conflicting impulses, conflicting traditions. There is no single American Vision of how this very , andlistic, diverse gargantuan nation should interact with the wider world. That is really important. In fact there has been great debate about how america should interact with the wider world not just in 1914, but going back. I think the key thing you would need to know is about 1898. The spanishamerican war, the moment in which the United States formally joins the club of him. When european powers when it Imperial Club of european powers when it defeats spain, extending american influence in the caribbean. It is projecting at how her, but this is deeply contentious and projectinghome its power, but this is deeply contentious and divisive at home. There is indecision and debate at that point. 1914,st thing to say is setting the stage, it is a moment of great uncertainty across the globe. You not only have the war in europe breaking out. Revolutione mexican entering a new accelerated phase. Mostis probably one of the important things to know if youre going to study the United States in this period, and very few know today apart from saying poncho vi lla is their favorite mexican restaurant. It is right on the border, raising all sorts of questions about how the United States should begin to assert its newfound power. Lora jennifer, could you tell us a little more about the state of the armed forces in 1914 . Dr. Keene i want to first say that i am from california, so i am neutral in this misery debate missouri debate. [laughter] a lot like wilson is neutral in 1914. I think it is important to understand the state of the American Military and 19 four teen in part to understand 1914 in part to understand his neutrality and how the american geopolitical situation had changed as a result of the spanishamerican war. When we think about the army and the navy that america had, it has the army and the navy that the kind ofhandle responsibilities it envisioned having as a result of this transformative moment at the turnofthecentury. We needed an army that could guard the border with mexico, that could undertake some sort of Police Action in the caribbean, that could occasionally be used in domestic disputes. We had a navy that was primarily focused on the pacific in terms of thinking about guaranteeing our control over our Pacific Island possessions. In 1914 webly know, had a relatively small peacetime army, and of course the National Guard. One of the big debates between control over the military force in the United States, will it primarily be federally or statecontrolled. And saying, why werent me more prepared in 1914, i would make the case that in 1914 we had military we needed for the responsibilities we had to find for ourselves. I would just add one other point in terms of thinking about wilson and his decision about neutrality, which i think i have been implying was in a sense a practical decision. It would have been difficult to conceive of getting immediately involved in 1914. But he has another practical problem, become position of the people of the United States. I think one of the most telling phrases in his neutrality what the United States says and do will depend on what the American People say and do. He understands in 1914 he does not have a Public Opinion unified around a notion of entering this conflict. Lora and it is a really international, Domestic Group we have at that point in time, but it is a nation of immigrants. We have a lot of conversation about immigrants today. 100 years ago was awfully similar as well. Could you speak to the u. S. As a community of immigrants from europe that might have torn their loyalties in 1814 . Prof. Sexton this is one of the key points. If anything, we talk about immigration today and the percentage of the population of the United States that is foreignborn today is still not reached its historic peak, which is right around at the turnofthecentury. T is just shy of 15 that is coming on the heels of a earlier waves of immigration, which should not be forgotten. Two of the most important ethnic immigrant groups in the great war were those that arrived in the mid19th century, and that is of course the irish and the germans. They are going to be very important, but what is also important to realize is that the majority of them had been in this country now for 70 years. We are talking secondgeneration, sometimes thirdgeneration. The wave of immigrants that arrived right before the great , most ofs out in 1914 them are from europe as welcome, but from different parts of europe. Southern europe, places like italy and greece, and from eastern europe, including russia come a ukraine, large jewish populations, catholics, all sorts of diverse immigrants coming to the United States, first or second generation. When wilson is talking about trying to put his finger on the pulse of american Public Opinion, i think this is a big part of it. It is not the only difficulty inputting the finger on the pulse because theres all sorts of conflicting identities and tribal loyalties in the United States that we still have today. Things like partisan affiliation , geographic locale. Are you from the midwest, from kansas city, from a port city on the oceanic coast . All of those things are the prisms through which people view the great war as it breaks out. It is a pluralistic, diverse society. There is no single american response to the war, and that is the essential background for the difficulties confronting the wilson administration. Dr. Keene i would add to this portrait of thinking about immigrants being such a key factor of American Life in 1914 that part of the trends jay was mentioning about the world really becoming a smaller place because of communication revolutions that this is also a way for immigrants to stay more connected to their homelands, and especially the families that were still there. You could had generations that had been there for two or three that had not lost touch from where they came from or with the relatives they still had in the old world. I think this is an important thing for us to appreciate what we do think about how americans responded to neutrality and the diversity of responses. If we had to have one unifying way that americans respond in 1914 and 1917, it is through humanitarian aid. No matter what immigrant group you are talking about, those immigrants are mobilizing within their communities to send aid back to the communities from which they originate. Part of this is political and part of it is having a difference of opinion about who is to blame for the war and who is fighting for what. But a lot of it is about personal connections that you have. , a huges war unleashes humanitarian crisis, refugee crisis, widows, orphans, these are personal connections made to these communities, and americans respond. In that sense we are divided, but yet united in this kind of desire to help make the situation better. Believe that that becomes an Important Foundation upon which wilson is able to build with his idealistic language that the United States can in fact make a difference. Lora here at the National World war i museum and muriel we have as museum and memorial we had a set of letters writing back to a German Family trying to find out how things are going and the like, as well as those efforts of humanitarians on all sides, those trying to aid on the allied, those aiding the central powers, and there are some phenomenal posters that americans are putting forth to try to rally the effort. I am so glad you brought up the humanitarian effort because for so Many Americans, what we know and wes the lusitania think about that poster, but there are so many more diverse stories. Prof. Sexton one of the key points there is that when we think about wars and Public Opinion, we tend to think, who do you support . Are you with them or with them . In addition to this confusion, i would say one way of characterizing american Public Opinion is that nobody wants the war. They want relief. They want humanitarian objectives. The mediation attempts we have just heard, diplomatic extension of that very attitude. Lora Woodrow Wilson is elected in 1916 underneath the slogan he kept us out of the war, which is going to be what our second excerpt from the docudrama is about. Here in this second episode, it is november 1916, and wilson has just been reelected. [cheering and applause] on the streets and squares they were filled to overflowing. Results were displayed everywhere by electric lights and cinematograph. Wilsons reelection to the presidency seemed less than certain, but then the situation began to change. Results gradually came in from the west. Memoir of edith wilson, november 10. Woodrow had been called and undisturbed throughout, but i could see the strain was beginning to tell on him. Great crowds at the station. A lady rushed forward, presented me with a fragrant cluster of violence, and said happiest wishes to you and your husband, the next president of the United States. for the first time i felt confident that despite all reports to the contrary, woodrow had been reelected. November 15, wilson addressed the country was rate nicety. Under his administration, they have enjoyed teeth unbroken and Prosperity Peace unbroken and prosperity. In his second term he possesses greater freedom of action. The germans suppose that mr. Wilson would be defeated. They branded him as the most hated man in germany, and proposed to indulge in a ruthless submarine campaign during the last four months of his term on the insulin assumption that he would have neither the power nor the will to challenge german action. Now that they find mr. Wilson reelected, they are confident that he will remain neutral, whatever germany chooses to do. But they reluc